User blog:SPARTAN 119/Belated Game of Thrones Season Finale Special: Post-Season 5 Arya Stark (Game of Thrones) VS Valentina Glinka Estes (The Lord Marksman and the Vanadis)
Welcome Deadliest Fiction Wiki to a battle I was too busy to release last Sunday! Arya Stark, the daughter of the executed Lord of Winterfell, who set out to avenge the deaths of her family and became a deadly assassin VS Valentina Glinka Estes, the "war maiden" or Vanadis of Zchted, who intends to eliminate the royal family and take the throne for herself WHO IS DEADLIEST!? =Arya Stark= Arya Stark is the second daughter of Lord Eddard "Ned" Stark and Lady Catelyn Stark of Winterfell, growing up in the castle of Winterfell along with her brothers and sisters, Robb, Sansa, Bran, and Rickon, as well as her bastard half-brother Jon Snow. From childhood, Arya was a fiercely independent girl, with no interest in "ladylike" pursuits, instead having an interest in weapons and warfare, and a desire to learn to sword fight, unlike her sister Sansa, who she has a strained relationship with. Arya is close to Jon, who sees her as, like him, the "outcast" of the family. It is Jon her gives Arya her sword, a rapier, which she names Needle, stating that she can "finally enjoy her needlework". During her time at Winterfell, she iS also given a dire wolf pup, one of six adopted by the Stark family. Arya names the pup Nymeria after a famous warrior Queen. After Ned Stark is named Hand of the King to King Robert Baratheon and Sansa is betrothed to Robert's son, Joffery, Arya travels to King's Landing. On the way, she meets has her first run-in with future king Joffery Baratheon, an incident which leads to Nymeria biting his arm, and Joffery, being unable to find Nymeria, order Sansa's wolf, Lady executed instead. The incident would be the beginning of Arya's lifelong hatred for Joffery and his retainers. During her time at King's Landing, she learns the Bravossi style of rapier fighting from master swordsman Syrio Forel, who, in addition to regular training, also has her chase and try to catch cats around to the Red Keep of King's Landing in order to train her agility. Ned Stark discovers that Joffery is not, in fact, King Robert's son, but rather the bastard son of his wife, Cersei Lannister's incestuous relationship with her brother, and attempts to inform Robert, but before he can do so, he is killed by a boar in a hunting accident. This leads to Joffery assuming the throne, and orders Eddard Stark, as well as Arya arrested. Her father is taken into custody, but Syrio holds off the guards armed only with a wooden sword, allowing Arya to escape. Meanwhile, Arya's brother Robb declares himself and independent king of the North, leading to a civil war in Westeros. Arya flees to the stable, where men were to meet her and take her back to Winterfell, but they were assassinated by Joffery. A stable boy enters, surprising Arya, and driving her to impale him on her sword. Arya flees the scene and lives for an unspecified period of time on the streets of King's Landing, until she witnesses the trial of her father in a central square. Eddard confesses to treason, on the false promise of mercy, but Joffery instead has him beheaded. Arya is confronted by Yoren, a recruiter for the Nights Watch, who cuts her hair with a dagger, and forces her to come with him, smuggling her out disguised as a boy, along with several Night's Watch recruits, including Gendry, blacksmith's apprentice who is actually a bastard son of Robert Baratheon. Arya journeys along with Yoren and the Night's Watch recruits north through the contested Riverlands. Arya quickly bonds with Gendry, and while she is bullied by a couple of boys, a baker's apprentice known as "Hot Pie" and a boy named Lommy "Greenhands", during her travels, Arya befriends both of them. At a lake in the Riverlands known as The God's Eye, Arya and the others are attacked by a group of Lannister men-at-arms led by Amory Lorch. The incident results in the death of both Yoren and Lommy, the latter of whom is murdered by a soldier named Polliver using Arya's own rapier. Arya, Gendry, and "Hot Pie" are taken to the ruined fortress of Harrenhal, currently commanded by Gregor Clegane, who they witness torturing several innocents. Arya and the others are rescued from this by Lord Tywin Lannister, and for a time, Arya becomes his cupbearer. Later, all three captives from the "God's Eye" escape, and are taken in for a time by the Brotherhood Without Banners, a group of soldiers who fight to protect the peasants of the Riverlands. Unfortunately, Arya's luck takes a turn for the worst again when the Brotherhood betray Gendry and sell him out to Melisandre, priestess of the religion of the "Lord of Light", and adviser to Stannis Baratheon, rival claimant to the throne. Arya and "Hot Pie" part ways after leaving the brotherhood. Shortly afterwards, Arya is taken prisoner by Sandor "The Hound" Clegane, who take her to a pair of castles known as the Twins, intending to ransom her back to her family. Sandor's plans go awry when House Frey, rulers of "The Twins" orchestrate the "Red Wedding, in which Robb Stark, his wife Talisa, Arya's mother, Catelyn, and several important Northern noblemen are assassinated, while their troops are ambushed and slaughtered in their camps. Arya and Sandor arrive during the aftermath of the incident, and Arya catches a glimpse of her dead brother, his head having been severed and the head of his pet dire wolf, Grey Wind, sown on instead. Soon after witnessing her the Frey soldiers mutilate her brother's body, she and Sandor encounter a group of Frey soldiers, laughing around a campfire. Pretending to be a in need of food, Arya walks up to them, and stabs one of them in the back of the neck with a dagger she took from the Hound. The other three try to attack her, but the Hound kills all three of them. Arya then picks up a coin she used to distract one of them and whispers Valar Morghulis, in tribute to Bravossi god of death, who she now considers the one true god. During the forth season, the series fast-forwards two years, to where Sandor and Arya are now travelling partners with a tense-at-best relationship. Arya encounters Polliver at a tavern and attacks him. Arya and Sandor managed to kill all of the soldiers in the tavern, before Arya takes Needle back from Polliver, and impales him through the neck. Sandor and Arya remain travelling partners, Sander intending to take her to her relatives in the Vale of Arryn, only to find them dead upon their arrival, prompting Arya to laugh out loud at the Hound's continued bad luck. At about this time, Arya also learns of Joffery's poisining, but feels no satisfaction, wishing the she had instead been the one to kill him. Sandor and Arya then encounter Brienne of Aryth, who attacks Sandor, who finally is killed, knocked off a cliff after an extended duel. Arya finds the wounded Hound at the bottom of the cliff, who begs her to mercy-kill him. Instead, Arya steals his money and leaves him to die. Arya is last seen on a ship bound for Braavos at the end of season 4. In the books, she goes on to join a guild of assassins known as the "Faceless Men", worshippers of the Braavossi god of death, who teach her a variety of assassination techniques, and give her access to a variety of magic masks capable of changing the appearance of the user, but only with the sacrifice of their own blood. Needle Needle is the sword of Arya Stark, a Braavossi rapier with a length of 30 inches according to the official replica based on the books and approved by George R.R. Martin himself. The weapon has a thin double-edged blade designed primarily rapid, accurate thrusts and a cruciform guard. The TV version (above) of the sword also has a "half-ring" hand guard to aid in parrying attacks, which will be present for the purposes of this match. Dagger Arya Stark has used multiple daggers in her adventures. For the purpose of this match, she will carry a short, double-edge dagger about six inches long, with a design similar to a short dirk. Poison The Faceless Men are experts in the use of poisons, and frequently introduce poisons into the food and drink of their victims. Among the poisons most commonly used by the Faceless Men is known as "The Strangler", as it attacks the respiratory system, causing the victims to suffocate rapidly, within a few seconds of drinking the poison, with other symptoms including violent vomiting and nosebleeds. The Strangler is usually stored in a solid "stone"-like form similar in appearance to a piece of jewelry, which can be safely worn. The poison "stone" is then covertly dropped into the target's drink, where it will quickly dissolve. The strangler is most famous for its use in the assassination of Joffrey Baratheon. The faceless men also use liquid poisons directly mixed with other liquids. Arya will have necklace with a bead of the strangler, as well a vial of poison. Skin-Absorbed Poison In addition to conventional poisons, the Faceless Men sometimes use a poison absorbed into the skin to kill their victims. Arya uses this poison in the books to assassinate a ship's captain by paying him with a coin covered in the substance. For the purposes of this match, Arya will have a some of this poison to place on any object Valentina might be likely to touch, possibly including her bedsheets, cups, shoes, clothing, or her weapon (though the latter will be almost always be in her possession, so the weapon is an unlikely option). Shape-Shifting Masks The Faceless Men possess numerous masks, which completely change the appearance of the user, thought they require a small about of the user's blood to work. Arya will have four masks in her possession, in an young female, young adult male, older male, and a older female. When combined with the right disguises, these masks can be used to disguise Arya's identity. NOTE: This will be a post-season 5 Arya, who will NOT suffer any detrimental impacts i.e. temporary blindness for using the masks. =Valentina Glinka Estes= Valentina Glinka Estes is a one of the seven "War Maidens" of Zchted in the 2014 anime Madan no Ou to Vanadis (Lord Marksman and Vanadis). Valentina was born into the poor house of Estes, who had little influence, in spite of rumors of being distantly related to the royal family of Zchted. Valentina spent her childhood reading about Zypheria, the ancient queen of Asvarre, and became determined to become queen of Zchted through any means necessary. When Valentina was chosen as Vanadis of Osterode, her fortune did not improve- Osterode was the poorest region of Zchted. Still, Valentina was determined to rise above her humble origins and seize the throne, and is more than willing to cause chaos and destruction to gain her ends. It is implied she may be responsible for the possible poisoning of Prince Ruslan of Zchted, and was definitely responsible for eliminating the house of Abt, who suspected her. Valentina would later host the noble of Brune, Maximilan Bennusa Ganelon, who was exiled from his homeland after his defeat in a Civil War by Eleonora Viltaria and Tigrevrmud Vorn, intending them to play a role in her plot to take the throne. Valentina attempted to poison heir to the throne Eugene Shevarin. The attempt failed, but it caused Eugene to suspect the attempt was the work of Ilda Kurtis, the other potential heir to the throne. This led to a civil war between the two heirs, which was only ended by the intervention of Eleonora Viltaria, Tigrevrmud Vorn and Elizaveta Fomina, another Vanadis. After she gained more forces following the downfall of Lord of Polus Orgelt Kazakov, Valentina turned her eyes to her next obstacle in her quest for the throne, Tigrevrmud and Eleonora. As of the latest novel, she intends to create further conflict in Brune by spreading rumors of Tigre's disloyalty. Personality-wise, Valentina is, on the surface, charming, practically always smiling, and also soft spoken, polite, and with the mannerisms of her highborn upbringing. Beneath this facade, though, she is ruthless, scheming, manipulative, and more than willing to sacrifice the lives of innocents to achieve her goals. Valentina's magic weapon, Edenzeis, is a large, ornate scythe with a secondary axe-like blade on the bottom. The weapon has the power to "cut" portals from any location to another, though she must have at least some vision of what the destination looks like to use this power. Essentially, this give Valentina the power to teleport. Valentina also has a natural talent for stealth, infiltrating heavily guarded areas even without using her teleportation abilities. She also is also a master of manipulation and deception. In addition to her magic and use of deception, bribery, seduction, and manipulation, Valentina is also known to use various poisons to eliminate her foe, and carries a species of flower endemic to her home, which is highly flammible, and be ignited by striking it against her dress or other surface, somewhat like a match. She can use this to start fires to distract her enemies. Ezendeis One of the seven legendary magic weapons, or Viralt, said to be have been forged by an ancient king of Zchted who was said to be dragon in human form. These weapon magically choose their next wielder, who is made a Vanadis, or Princess of War, granting them superhuman powers, and declaring their place as the ruler of one of the seven territories of Zchted. Valentina's Viralt, the scythe, Ezendeis, gives the the power of cut portals of "shadow" into the air and allows the user teleport at will (see gif above), however, the user must have some idea what the place they intend to teleport to looks like, making it difficult for Valentina to travel somewhere she does not know the appearance of. In addition to its teleportation powers, Ezendeis has the same supernatural durability and cutting ability. The scythe itself is slightly taller then Valentina herself, making it about five and half to six feet long. The scythe has both a main blade and a smaller axe-like blade on the other end of the shaft about 1.5 feet long (based on comparisons with Valentina herself. While she prefers manipulation and deception to meet her ends, Valentina is presumably, like the other Vanadis, a master at using her weapon in close combat. A Vanadis can summon her Viralt if she is separated from it, regardless of distance. This means Valentina is unlikely to be disarmed for long- though for the purposes of this match, she will be for a second or two- unless her hand is wounded to the point she can no longer effectively wield the weapon. Poison Valentina is a master poisoner, who may have been involved in the mysterious fatal illness of Prince Ruslan of Zchted, and definitely sent poisoned vodka to Duke Ilda Kurtis, one of the possible heirs to the throne, and blamed the act on Duke Eugene Shevarin, in an attempt to plunge Zchted into civil war. Stealth/Mastery of Disguise Valentina is also a master of stealth, skillfully concealing her identity with various disguises, allowing her to move amongst the enemy without anyone ever suspecting her presence, even her fellow Vanadis. Flammable Flower Valentina also carries a rose-like species of flower endemic to her homeland of Osterode on her dress. To any observers, it looks like a simple ornamentation, but it is actually highly flammable, and can be ignited by brushing it against her dress or (presumably) other surfaces, like a match. Valentina has used this to start fires as a convenient distraction. =Valentina's Guards= Valentina's castle will have about 100 guards spread about it, plus about another 100 in the town, mostly clad in chain mail given Osterode's status as a poor province. Some, however, will have plate armor. Guards will attempt to attack Arya unless she threatens them, Valentina, or a castle servant, but will refuse her entry and arrest her if caught in the castle. Guards will not notice Arya if properly disguised, unless she acts suspiciously- i.e. attacking someone. If caught, Arya will have to kill the guard and hide the body before they raise the alarm. If they find a body, the guards will be put on high alert- more patrols, fewer lone guards, and may use a password or other means of detecting intruders. Guard's visibility will reduced at night, or if is heavily raining or foggy- which may happen. NOTE: Arya will be able to use guard's weapons if she steals them, albeit not with the skill that she has with Needle Zchtedi Longsword The Zchtedi Longsword is similar to the real-life European longsword. The term "longsword" refers to a longer sword than the arming sword, while having the same basic shape of the arming sword, but having a length of up to about one and a half meters, designed more for thrusting, but still capable of cutting. The sword was used from the mid 1300s to the mid 1500s. The weapon was also known as a "hand and a half", as it can be used one or two handed. Spear Valentina's guards will use spears about six feet long, intended for use at close quarters, rather than the longer pikes used on a battlefield. The weapon weapons will have a simple steel point, designed a thrusting weapon, with a crossbar just below that, as seen on some spears in the Vanadis anime. Arbalest The Arbalest is a European crossbow design first appearing in the 12th century. The weapon had a steel bow piece, or prod, allowing for greater strength, and thus, greater draw weights. This resulted in a powerful weapon capable of piercing plate armor, however, it took a long time to reload as a windlass or crank was often needed to pull back the string. =X-Factors= Explanations In terms of combat experience, unlike the other Vanadis of Zchted, Valentina has avoided military service, lying about having a severe illness, and prefers to manipulate others into fighting her battles, or covertly assassinate her enemies. Arya has been in a few fights, but relies mostly on surprise to make her kills. The only times she got into a true fight, she relied on Sandor Clegane to do any direct fighting for her. Valentina, however, like all Vanadis, is highly trained with her weapon, probably as well or even a shade better than Arya, even with her sword training for Syrio Forel and the assassination training of the Faceless Men. In terms of stealth, Arya takes the edge with the power of the masks of the Faceless Men, which, literally allow her to change here appearance. Valentina is a master of disguise, but even she can't change her physical appearance. In terms of strength, Valentina's weapon grants here superhuman strength, which can only be matched by a few select few "mere mortals" of extreme strength or combat skill. Valentina's magic weapon can also cut portals in space, allowing her to teleport. However, all of these offensive skills require to see an attacker coming. Valentina is well-read, and also has a natural talent for deception and manipulation- Arya would probably be reminded of Cersei Lannister. Arya is intelligent but has not done anything on that level. Valentina also has a knowledge of poisons, which may allow her to take precautions... but she will be dealing with poisons from another world... =Scenario= Arya will have been sent to assassinate Valentina Glinka Estes by the leader of the Faceless Men, armed with multiple masks (see above) to allow for her to shapeshift multiple times if necessary. Valentina will be within Osterode castle. As it is a poorer region of Zchted, the castle will be smaller than others in Zchted, or indeed many in Westeros. The castle will be surrounded by the City of Osterode, a medieval city, but much smaller- given the poorer, less populated region- than King's Landing or Braavos, with a population of about 10,000- 20,000. Arya must either sneak into the castle using one of many routes- entrances to the dungeons, docks, inside crates or barrels to be sent to the castle etc, or using a disguise, and assasinate Valentina. Arya's basic disguise- as a female traveler, will not allow her to enter the castle, however, she may be able to steal disguises, which will allow her in along with certain shape-shifting masks (i.e. guard disguise, young adult male mask; servant disguise, young female mask etc). Any bodies (target or other) must be hidden- in barrels, hay bales, closets, garderobes (medieval toilets), etc. to avoid alerting guards, and they will be found eventually, so Arya must be quick after killing someone. Arya may attempt to infiltrate at any time- and may wait for nightfall and/or inclement weather to restrict guard's vision. =Battle= Osterode, Zchted Arya Stark walked through the streets of Zchted, no one suspecting her true identity as an assassin of the Faceless Men. Personally, Arya was surprised that, after her failure to kill her intended target the first time, Jaqen H'ghar (or whoever he really was) had allowed her a second chance after recovering from the temporary blindness. In fact, she wondered if he had chosen this target intentionally: The target in question was a high-ranking noblewoman and military leader in distant land called Zchted, a "Princess of War" or "Vanadis" as she was known. The target's name was Valentina Glinka Estes, a woman, who, behind her facade of a sickly young girl thrust into a position of power, was a power hungry and manipulative woman bent on seizing the throne, who didn't care how many people she had to kill to acheive her goal. This woman had brought about the downfall of a noble house who suspected her, and, most recently, had turned two rival heirs to the throne against each other with an attempted poisoning. She was even rumored to be involved with the mysterious death of the Prince of Zchted. But it was not the throne who sent the Faceless Men after her, but rather, it was the family of the "food taster" of Duke Ilda Kurtis, a man who died of a poisoning, instead of Ilda himself. The Faceless Men would work for anyone, and ensure their price was one they could pay... however high it might be to them. But what exactly the taster's family had paid was not her concern. Rather, while she had never met Valentina, she still felt a hatred for her... From the description, she reminded her of her hated enemy, Cersei Lannister. Arya walked out for the town gates, towards a cliff with a view of the castle of Osterode. The castle was much smaller than the Red Keep, indeed, not much larger than the House of Black and White in Braavos. Still, it had a second gate, barring entry from the town to all not authorized to enter by the Vanadis. The gate and walls were ringed with towers manned by crossbowmen and armed with ballistae. Arya did not think attempting to climb them was a good idea. Then she saw it: it was an entrance of a wide tunnel going into the castle from the sea. It was presumably an exit for the garderobes- medieval toilets. It wasn't the cleanest approach, but it was the critical weakness for this fortress. Tonight, Arya would brave the waters to strike her target. Later that night Arya Stark climbed out of the foul water in the drain, and crept onto a narrow stone walkway running along the primitive sewer running out of Osterode Castle. The up ahead, a lone guard armed with a spear had his back turned. Arya lunged forward and thrust her rapier, Needle- the one piece of her past she had hidden from the Faceless Men- between the gaps in the guard's armor, straight into his heart from behind. The man was dead without making a sound. Arya pulled a mask out of a small sack at her belt, and donned it, transforming into a young man. Arya then then spent the next several minutes changing into the guard's armor and clothing, as well as taking his spear and then tossed the dead man's body into the sewer, which flowed out into the sea. Arya donned walked up into the main castle, disguised as a guard. Because of the lingering smell from literally entering through a sewer, she had to be careful not to get to close to anyone. Thankfully at this deserted hour, there were only a few guards walking about, which were easily avoided. After about 20 minutes of creeping about in the castle, she had found her way to the bedroom where her target slept. Arya raised the spear she had stolen from the guard she was now disguised as and thrust it toward the sleeping form of Valentina Glinka Estes. Then, the unexpected happened: Valetina rolled out of bed, and grabbed Ezendeis, which stood propped against the wall. "Ara ara", Valentina let out her trademark laugh, before she said in Zchtedi, "It appears I have company" Arya did not understand a word of the language, and instead, simply thrust the spear forward a second time, only for Valentina to dodge the swing, and slice the handle in two with a swing of Ezendeis. Furiously, Arya, drew Needle and, aiming by the light of the candles on the table and full moon in the window, thrust it forward with a shout of "Valar Morgulis!"- High Valyrian for "All men must die" Valentina, however, simply spun Ezendeis in a circle, and disappeared in a circle of pure blackness. "What the!?", Arya yelled, but was cut off by the sound of a footstep behind her. Arya turned on the spot, in time to see Valentina behind her, raising her scythe. Arya jumped backwards, only barely being grazed across the face by the strike, increasing her resemblance to a certain halfman of House Lannister The strike had also knocked off the mask from Arya's face, revealing her true form, and causing the armor to fall off her true, young female body, leaving her only in her underclothing- similar in appearance to a white nightdress- given the fashion in medieval Westeros, it was still more modest than Valentina's revealing dress, which Arya thought made her look like a whore. Furious at this humiliation, thrust her sword forward, but was blocked by Valentina, who blocked the attack, and retaliated with inhuman speed. Arya rolled out of the way and immediately got back up. Even with all the training of Syrio Forel, she could only barely dodge Valentina's attacks. "I see you speak Asvarri", Valentina said, in what, to Arya's surprise was perfect Westerossi, "Who are you? If you spare my life and work for me, I could make it worth your while". "I am no one!", Arya replied, and responded to Valentina's proposition by thrusting foward with Needle, straight at Valentina's heart. Valentina raised Ezendeis, and Needle glanced off the handle, being redirected. Valentina let out a scream of pain as blade pierced her. It was not a fatal wound, but the blade had pierced through Valentina's right breast at a diagonal angle, but had missed piercing her vital organs. Arya pulled out Needle and went in for another attack, but Valentina recovered and swung her scythe furiously, forcing Arya to jump to the side. "You will pay most dearly for that!", Valentina said as she furiously attacked Arya. "Hmmph, what kind of warrior cares about a few scars!", Arya taunted her adversary. "Do you know who your are dealing with!?", Valentina said, "I am the future queen for Zchted!" As she spoke, Valentina teleported behind Arya, in the middle of sentence, immediately revealing her location. Arya did not know how she did that, but she know one thing: Valentina was not a very experienced fighter, if she advertised her locations so easily. Arya thrust her Needle towards Valentina, only for Valantina to spin her scythe as though teleporting, but instead, the blade simply struck Needle and knocked it out of Arya's hand. Valentina then pressed her advantage, thrusting the secondary blade of Ezendeis downward, into Arya's foot, causing her to scream in pain and fall backwards. Valentina then walked directly on top of Arya and said: "To tell you the truth, I'm surprised you lasted so long against against a Vanadis like me, but in the end, nothing will stop me from ascending to the throne", Valentina said, before breaking into Zchtedi (which sounds a lot like Russian) "Da Svadanya, no one!". Valentina then trust the secondary blade of Ezendeis down into Arya's heart, spraying blood everywhere as the Vanadis of the Shadow let out a maniacal laugh. Expert's Opinion The experts believed this was very close match, as seen in the simulation where Valentina was severely wounded in the fight. In the end, however, Valentina's superhuman abilities and natural talent for deception allowed her to overcome the superior training and the abilities of the Faceless Men's masks that Arya possessed. To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here. Category:Blog posts